On 6 Apr, 16:43, "Will Hand" wrote:


I'm guessing the snow was powdery, given the depth/rainfall ratio?

Will

Yes Will, very powdery ... The heavy snow started here at 0535, at
which time the temp had risen to 1.1°C, but it then fell quickly to
just below 0°C by 0610. Most of the heaviest snowfall fell at
-0.2°/-0.3°C which probably accounts for the high depth compared to
the rainfall caught in the gauge (and I see others on here have
commented on the high ratio too). I suspect some snow may also have
been blown over the gauge because it was windy during the snowfall
(gust 20 kn at 0600).

We must have caught a local convective cell (thunder at 0603) which
gave us the extra precipitation, because my depth of 11 cm was
carefully sampled and yet places all around us and not far away seem
to have caught only about half that depth. I didn't see it all fall,
but it looks as though most of the 11 cm fell in less than an hour,
which would make it just about the heaviest short-period snowfall I've
seen in this country. Amazingly, our deepest snow for over 20 years
here, and it falls in an hour. Beats Dartmoor any day ;-)

Two further light snow showers pm - one from a Cu humilis, no more -
and a heavier one at dusk; the ground is thinly covered with snow once
more, with a few thicker drifts left from this morning's fall.

--
Stephen Burt
Stratfield Mortimer, Berkshire